It is an invaluable service. All of us have been aware of certain issues as the scheme has grown. I have dealt with them in my own constituency in Dublin Fingal as well. It is important to know the Minister, Deputy Foley, has been actively engaged and involved in this. Since 2018, there has been a 38% increase in the number of pupils being provided with school transport. The cost of the scheme has gone up from approximately €200 million to just short of €400 million. Approximately 140,000 tickets are issued. The De…

It is something I have in mind. We reduced the number of boil water notices in areas that had been under boil water notices in recent years but there are some areas, like the area to which the Deputy refers, which have been under these restrictions. They are a very serious imposition on people and households in that regard. It is costly and it costs business. At the moment, I am reviewing the Uisce Éireann strategic plan and its plan going forward. I also will seek additional capital funding for Uisce Éireann. It h…

I thank the Deputy for his kind words and for all the work he has been engaged with in the past four years in the Oireachtas joint committee and as a colleague of mine in implementing Government housing policy. We have been able to make progress. We still have a lot of work to do and challenges remain. The Deputy has seen from the three party leaders that in relation to any additional capital allocations, there is the budget first. Certainly, I am seeking additional capital funding for 2025 in the budget. The addit…

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. The Government has brought forward the mother and baby institutions payment scheme, and rightly so. Applications opened in March. As of 16 September, 5,100 applications had come into the scheme, of which 4,400 were fully completed and have proceeded into the processing system. Approximately 2,700 notices of determination have been issued to applicants, of which more than 82% contain an offer of benefits under the scheme. Applicants have six months to consi…

I assure the Deputy there is no lack of political will. If he looks at what we have been able to achieve in recent years, he will note that over 28,000 children are now being supported in special schools and classes. Since 2019, just five years ago, there has been a 15% increase in the number of special education teachers and a 30% increase in the number of special needs assistants. Budget 2024 – we will be working on this in the provision for next year as well – provided for an additional 744 special education tea…

I agree with the Deputy. He and I have discussed this matter on a number of occasions. With regard to anything I can do to support him in bringing about a permanent resolution, he can be assured he will have my support.

I know the Deputy is very passionate about this matter and has met community groups very recently on Kildysart and the provision of GP services there. He can be assured that I will raise this directly with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and revert to him directly.

Is it a cost-rental tenant in situ case?

The Deputy should be able to get details from the Housing Agency.

The Deputy might supply me with the details. Just short of 200 homes have been acquired through the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme. We will be legislating for that in the coming weeks to underpin it in primary legislation. That will come forward in the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. In the meantime, if the Deputy gives me the details directly, I will raise the matter with the Housing Agency and find out what is happening.

I referred to this earlier. We had Priority Questions today and questions to the Ministers responsible for housing. I note that we had no questions in from the Social Democrats this morning with regard to housing.

They had no questions in at all on the topic.

All right. I withdraw that. My apologies. To answer the Deputy's question, we need to continue to increase housing output, and we are doing that. Many challenges remain but, unquestionably, we have taken a step up. We need to deliver more social homes and we are doing that. We are doing it in our own area of Fingal, even with continued objections to one of our biggest schemes from the Social Democrats. Balmoston in Donabate-----

One thousand two hundred homes-----

-----the Deputy's party voted against.

The Deputy's party voted against 253 affordable and 253 social homes, so what I would say-----

If the Deputy really wants to help, he should stop objecting-----

-----to homes in his own constituency,-----

-----stop objecting to homes across Fingal and support the Government in the provision of social homes.

On first hearing that, it seems to make absolutely no sense that a Garda division would need to seek specific approval for overtime in a particular region. I will raise the matter with the Minister for Justice and get her to talk directly to the Deputy. The Government is committed to increasing Garda numbers. Garda resources, provision and visibility are crucial. We will continue to recruit gardaí in that space but I will raise the matter with the Minister for Justice.